Urban Meyer rejects Ohio State 'national title or bust' narrative, 'it's actually the rivalry game or bust'

The Ohio State Buckeyes have poured in a reported $20 million in NIL money into their current roster, hoping to produce a national championship on the gridiron this year in Columbus. Many college football fans and analysts around the country have said this season is truly a ‘national title or bust’ year for the Buckeyes.

Friday night, on the FOX Big Noon Kickoff Preview Show, former Ohio State head coach Urban Meyer rejected that notion.

It’s all about the showdown with Michigan, according to Meyer.

“Sure, Brady, these non-Ohio people might not understand this, but it’s actually the rivalry game or bust,” Meyer explained in their brief preview segment on Friday night. “You never really speak of the national championship, at least we didn’t when I was at Ohio State. Because, there’s too many variables. The one thing that’s not a variable? That last game of the season. So, it is a must do or break season. But it’s about the rivalry game.”

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The Buckeyes have looked like a national title contender should early on in the 2024 campaign, whipping Akron 52-6 to kick off the year. Then they shutout Western Michigan to the tune of a 56-0 thrashing. On Saturday, Ohio State rolls out the welcome mat for the Marshall Thundering Herd. Kickoff time for that one is set for noon and the game will be nationally televised on FOX.

During his time at Ohio State, Urban Meyer was impressively dominant against Michigan, boasting a 7-0 record as the Buckeyes head coach between 2012 and 2018. He won those games by a combined score of 275-189. That’s no easy feat, especially in a rivalry such as Ohio State and Michigan, where the stakes have been extremely high at different points over the years.

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Urban Meyer accomplished great things at Ohio State

While his time in the NFL with the Jacksonville Jaguars was by all accounts, an unmitigated disaster, Meyer still established himself as one of the greatest college football coaches of all-time. While with Ohio State, he propelled the Buckeyes to three Big Ten Championships (2014, 2017, and 2018). He also led the Scarlet and Gray to one national title during his time there, riding running back Ezekiel Elliott all season long in 2014.

Ezekiel Elliott was a former four-star recruit in the 2013 cycle, according to the On3 Industry Rankings. Rated as the No. 14 overall running back in America in the class, Elliott not only met those expectations during his time in Columbus, but when he hung up his cleats, he’d cemented himself as one of the greatest players ever to suit up at the school. In the first ever College Football Playoff, Elliott shredded the Alabama defense to the tune of 230 rushing yards on 20 carries to lead them to a 42-35 win.

He also had an 85-yard touchdown run to seal the win. He capped off their championship season by running for 246 yards on 36 carries and scoring four touchdowns against the Oregon Ducks. Not only did he lead the Buckeyes to a national title, but it was the third most rushing yards ever recorded in a single game in OSU football player history.